New Delhi: Expressing her helplessness on the issue of demolition drive, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Sunday said she was getting flaks from the public and judiciary due to multiplicity of authority in the Capital. "I am receiving flaks for the demolition drive and also for not carrying out demolition," she said while addressing a gathering at a seminar on `Change India' this evening.

The mess was due to many authorities such as - the Lt.-Governor being another power centre, MCD, DDA and Police are with the Union Home Ministry, she said.

Strongly advocating for breaking the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) into smaller units, she said, "The citizens would gain out of it."

Ms. Dikshit urged the people to extend their helping hands to the State Government in its endeavour to set everything right in the Capital. The Supreme Court and Delhi High Court stepped in to clear the mess as the various departments of both the Central and State Governments failed to deliver, she said.

Former Madras IIT Director P.V. Indiresan said Delhi had to take the lead in developing the villages in the neighbouring States for clearing the population from the capital.

Delhi Chief Secretary S. Regunathan said the State Government had become more responsive after the launch of the "Bhagidari" scheme in Delhi.

Speaker shoots off letter

Meanwhile, faced with complaints of massive shortage of water supply in his constituency, Delhi Assembly Speaker Prem Singh has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, asking her to resolve the crisis immediately.

According to an official statement Mr. Singh asked the Chief Minister to "tighten screws" on the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to ensure water for all in the Capital.

"How can people survive without water?" the Speaker, who insisted his Ambedkar Nagar constituency faced a huge shortage of water supply, said. "The agony, pain and anger of the people cannot be seen and can only be felt as how they are managing their day-to-day needs without water." Mr. Singh said some of the localities in his constituency had complained of no water supply over the past five days while the supply in some areas was restricted to 15 minutes a day. "Will it not be treated as 100 per cent curtailment of water from the constituency. They should be supplied the water in a proportionate manner." The Speaker, who blamed the DJB for water shortage in Delhi, asked the Chief Minister to be strict with its officials in order to fix the crisis - UNI & PTI

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